Press release Kanu Schwaben (no proofreading conducted by Sportscene) - The air to breath is a completely special one at the Augsburg Eiskanal: Slalom national team exercise along leisure paddlers, and Olympic winners share the eddy with hobby captains. Still the Olympic distance of 1972 find itself as local arena for top class fights like the ECA in 2015.

Boater Cross is to be compared with snowboad races at Olympic Winter Games. Four kayak drivers men or women start from a ramp at the same time. The first and the second of each race get a round further until the final start of the best four. Whoever will be in the lead spectators will surely profit!

Already have taken place two Boater Cross Open at Augsburg in 2013 and 2014.In 2013 Sam Sutton from New Zealand three times extreme kayak World Champion was not to be defeated. At the Canoe World Cup Final at Augsburg in 2014 there has been a trophy money race of kayak men. The four winners are part of the global top rank:

• 1. Michal Smolan (USA) 2. Hannes Aigner (GER) 3. Sam Sutton (NZL) 4. Thomas Bersinger (ARG)

In 2015 it will get serious to lift the trophy in the 1st ECA European Boater Cross Cup on May 9th to 10th, 2015

Starting Field - Schedule
For the first time the title will be carried out as well in K1 class women. In both classes K1 men and K1 women a qualifying session will take place on May 9th, 2015. According the time results the first 32 women and the first 64 men are qualified and to be placed according their single results. The same day the qualified 64 men will carry out the semi final in groups of four, of which the first 32 will be the finalists for the following day on May 10th, 2015. In class K1 women the 32 drivers will start for the semi final on May 9th of which the first 16 will be the finalists of May 10th.

Start
All four participants of a race start from the ramp of the AKV-boathouse bridge at the same time. Starting signal is: „Are you ready? - „5 seconds - Go!“

The Course
After the start „washing machine“ is to be passed, below the arch bridge, around the Moby Dick into the mark (the rear above Moby Dick). On this course you find different fender-like gates as to be known from yacht requirements. In addition there are two „Abklatscher“ (touchers) which are to be touched by each driver. If one gate respectively „Abklatscher“ (toucher) is missed it will lead to disqualification.

Rules
Boater Cross is a spectacular fight „paddler against paddler“- though a fair discipline. It is the high qualification to be fast as well as finding the better line. However, for your high secure would you please just follow some rules: Keep hands tight to the paddle. Strictly forbidden to push persons or kayaks with hands or paddles. Kayak-to-kayak contact is permitted which allows pushing kayak-to-kayak. Strictly unallowed is to drive his own kayak towards the opponentʼs body. Any infringement will lead to disqualification by the judge.

Boat types
Exclusively customary and modern Creeker-white water boats are allowed
(e.g. Pyranha Burn or Shiva, Prion Pure, Lettmann Granate, Waka Tuna, Wavesport Diesel, Dagger Nomad or similar)

Cash Prizes
In total there are cash prize valuable 6.000,– Euro

• Cash prize men: (1) 1500 Euro, (2) 1000 Euro, (3) 800 Euro, (4) 500 Euro
• Cash prize women: (1) 1000 Euro, (2) 600 Euro, (3) 400 Euro, (4) 200 Euro

Judge
Georg Oberrieser (Head) plus representatives of the participating nations

Registration
Kanu Schwaben Augsburg, Am Eiskanal 49a, 86161 Augsburg, E-Mail: georg.oberrieser@googlemail.com